Karate will make its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games and feature eight medal events, four for men and four for women:

Men’s Kumite 67kg

Men’s Kumite 75kg

Men’s Kumite +75kg

Men’s Kata

Women’s Kumite 55kg

Women’s Kumite 61kg

Women’s Kumite +61kg

Women’s Kata

The two disciplines of karate to be contested in Tokyo are kumite and kate:

Kumite is the fighting discipline. In a kumite match, athletes compete head-to-head against one another. Each athlete aims to score more points than his/her opponent by using kicks, punches, strikes, throws, and sweeps. Each men’s match lasts three minutes while every women’s match lasts two.

Kata showcases karate techniques. Athletes complete a series of pre-defined movements and are judged on their speed, strength, focus, breathing, balance, and rhythm. Although kata is performed individually, it is still a head-to-head competition; an athlete progresses to the next round by outscoring his/her opponent.

Japan is expected to excel in karate when it plays host to the 2020 Olympics, having earned more world titles and medals than any other country.